As a tear-off note on this blog of headier screeds, I’d like to propose a new meme: CVC, or “Christian values-compatible” living.
This came up as I was trying to describe the neighborhood where I’d like to live. Naturally, I’m in what I call crypto-social mode, which involves both dumbing down my commentary so it does not seem elitist and avoiding that which offends the hive-mind of media memes and social fashions.
All I could come up with was: “People like me: mostly Western European, independent-minded but realistic, and Christian or compatible with it.”
When asked for clarification, all I could say (in crypto-social mode) that I wanted a neighborhood where people were compatible with basic Christian-style conservative values. These are lowercase-c conservative, meaning practical and time-honored, not some sort of ideological jihad. They occur in a good many people who are not Christian or even anti-Christian, but if the values are the same, the compatibility is there.
For example:
- Responsibility. The idealistic notion that you should do the right thing by others is common, but the notion of responsibility to a higher order — civilization, God, justice — is rare. Plenty of people will share their toys with other kids, and we have lots of voices screaming to make sure every kid has a toy, but very few have the brains to make sure the kid with artistic talent gets the pens sometimes and not the Tonka Truck every time.
- Chastity. As parents invested in biological survival, we want chaste, marriage-minded and family-oriented, heterosexual children. Some rely on the Bible for this, but to me, it’s pure biology. Without the above you do not achieve evolutionary success, although you may achieve reproduction. I want only examples of the same around so the children do not doubt their path in life and explore dead-ends dressed up as “fascinating journeys.”
- Sobriety. I can’t count on being cool anymore after having said this. However, showing off with a drink is the kind of cheap trick a Hollywood movie would pull to convince you that a character is fun, edgy, insert-cliche-here and worthy of your sympathy. Most of the real men and real women that I know have little or no use for it. The glass of wine with dinner is OK; constant bar-hopping, trying to drink away the pain, or hoping to put lustre on a failing life through alcohol is not just against my values; it’s plain stupid and a bad role model for kids and adults.
- Gratitude. Possibly the most important attribute is gratitude, reverence and awe at the world around us. Religious people tend to view life as a gift; others, as a sentence to be served grudgingly. If you’re going to go through the trouble of having a family, you want happy kids who believe in life and believe in doing the right thing by life because life is itself a great and enduring positive experience.
This is what I’d call Christian values-compatible (CVC). It’s not going to win you any points with the hedonist crowd, or the perpetual teenagers or hipsters, but it will appeal to anyone who has gotten past the initial pleasures of life and started looking toward the long-term: family, career, politics and culture.
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I’m coming from the more Nietzsche-esque side of things, but I CAN respect some “Christian” themes. Beyond those surface ideas, though (chastity and gratitude etc.), I do not think Christianity is healthy in the long term.
Just curious, what do you think of a conservative reconstructionist approach to Germanic/Nordic paganism? None of that new-age wicca garbage, but we take what we DO know from history, sagas, folk traditions and what not and base spirituality through that and a reverence for nature.
Just curious, what do you think of a conservative reconstructionist approach to Germanic/Nordic paganism?
I’m coming at this from a more Nietzschean attitude, but even more, a Schopenhauerian/Kantian one (as I went through college, it became clear to me that Schopenhauer, Kant and Plato loved me more than any of my girlfriends, and without having met me) — I see the fundamental European system as Transcendental Idealism, and that can be expressed in any form. While I like the idea of reconstructing our pagan past, it seems to me a rough course in a modern society. Pagans based a lot of their appeal on not writing things down; this is a society of the Word. What makes the most sense to me, per Schopenhauer, is to reform Christianity and our politics simultaneously, and to try to get us to what Paul Woodruff calls “Reverence,” or a state of awe, appreciation and love for life itself. From that the best of Pagan ideas, and the best of Christian scholarship (Blake, Emerson, and even some of the writers you see visiting this blog) emerges.
After many years of trying to separate the culture wars into EFFECTS, I have come to see Christianity and liberalism as EFFECTS; Christianity has good in it, so I’m not going to fight it, but rather, see it as a canvas for Transcendental Idealism and other concepts shared between some Christian mystics, the Occult, Hinduism and Paganism.
“What makes the most sense to me, per Schopenhauer, is to reform Christianity and our politics simultaneously…”
I see what you are saying here, but I suppose some on the right would say that this is “inorganic” to reform such a thing. What do you think of this?
Woodruff’s book is excellent. I read it last year and I found myself say “Yes!” in my head a lot when going through it.
It helps to review the history of Christianity, which did not arise of itself but of previous influences: Greco-Roman paganism, Zoroastrianism, Jewish mysticism (heavily influenced if not derived from the Greeks), and the hidden Hindu influence. It’s mostly similar to the pagan religions you mention, with the exception of its focus on individualism and insistence on monotheistic dualism; the Greek version was monistic. However, Christianity is far easier to explain to others… and thus to unite a society around it. It triumphed for this reason. Something to think about; it could be that, taking the Hindu idea that all religions are descriptions of the same thing and thus conflatable, Paganism was simply too honest, too exoteric for its own good. If as Evola alleges, Christianity confuses the exoteric and esoteric, that could be a flaw — but a flaw in philosophy that ends up being a win in politics. Hard to say. But either way, I’d point to slow gradual evolution as being superior to trying to re-invent the world in a day, at least from a pragmatic standpoint.
It is an amazing book. Everyone on the right should read it, so they don’t lose sight of the ultimate positive goal, which is love of life (and clearing aside barriers to that transcendent state).
Good reference points for Von List’s question will be to read Stephen E. Flowers – Northern Dawn book and Sigrid Hunke’s – Europas eigene Religion (in my opinion her only good book and unfortunately only available in the German language).
Both books touch upon subjects of Heathenism (I do avoid term Paganism as it has derogatory meaning) and also Christianity which was clearly Germanized.I will be writing myself on those topics very much in the future as well as on Heliand epic.
In a meantime I recommend this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Germanization-Early-Medieval-Christianity-Sociohistorical/dp/0195104668
What is interesting is that you did put the picture of St. Benedict. Totally fitting I will say.
I will look into this. Thanks, Leichhardt.
Another fine idea. Christian-compatible is good.
Maybe you missed a category: Honesty.
That may well be more important that all the others combined.
There are others: Humility springs to mind.
Unfortunately, Christians have largely fallen prey to a siege-mentality, on account of their being under so much attack, in recent years.
I see them becoming more and more paranoid and unreasonable.
In fact Christianity seems to have stopped being that at all.
However, the basic teachings are timeless and wise.
As long as some of us continue to abide by the Commandments, all is not lost.
I originally thought it would be a two-line post. What did I know. Those are good suggestions, especially the latter. I tend to group honesty under wanting to do right, but it may deserve its own category.
Ah: honesty is seen differently by different people.
For me it is the understanding that without honesty there is chaos.
Each lie, each misrepresentation adds to it.
We live in times where honesty is almost extinct, and just look at what that translates into.
It is a baseline for behavior.
It would make a fine religion, all by itself.
More non-Christian parasites trying to live off the back of the healthy Christian body?
Christianity is not European, it’s Middle Eastern. Your ancestors were forced to convert to it.
And, by that I mean… If you really believe in keeping true to your own, you will not be Christian. It is not the proper faith of Middle Eaterners either. Christ was the Joseph Smith Jr. of his time and place.
To keep true to being European is to be Pagan.
To oppose culture infiltration/corruption/etc. is to oppose Christianity, because that is literally the basis of Christianity.
Oh, and… Responsibility, Chastity, Sobriety, Gratitude… Those are not Christian. In fact, most Christians lack most of those. And, such things within Christianity are primarly not from Jesus Christ himself.
Those values… That’s a lot more Indian and Chinese.
Brett, I want to live in the world you speak of…. I am slowly waking up out of the dream that was not my own, but a long line of cultural untruths. I am leery of information in any form now and I am being very choosy in regards books I read, info I digest, and people I trust. I am exploring all intelligent offers… I hope more men and women are listening to their own hearts closer and less to the news or bobble heads that come out of the TV and other froms of media. I am fortunate to have a best friend that is with me on my path and we support each others commitment to live a new way of life. I am glad I have your page to read. I do not agree with everything you write, but I love your passion and it moves me to a place that keeps my eye on the prize. The bonus is I have began to meditate again and am practicing evaluating my actions mindful that I must guard against ego motivations. Again …I am very happy that you are making available your thought and views Brett…